The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-07-23

or more the timber about Blakely had been
| felled with the tops OF the trees pointing
| from the works and with their sharrened
| extremltics the branches stood ready u
| greatly impede the advance OF on attack
ing force.
But through there and amidst shower
Of shot. she'll canister and bullets, the
Fcderas made their way to ana over the
Confederate works.
The principal part OF tho assault had
been borne by a division OF colOred troops
belonging To General Stcclo's command.
These men, 1t was reported on every hand,
bore themselves most CALAMITY.
Passing into Blakely early on the morn
ing OF April 10, IL having been surrendered
at p m. the day previous, an opportunity
was gwen 10 see things pretty much a. the
COME dcrates had left them One thlng
that interested the writer greatly was some
captured haversaCks containing JohHryn
ratlons. The meat was such as our men
would never have tasted unless reduced To
the verge OF starvation, and the bread
seemed indcscr,bably poor, and Of such
character az North ern farmer would
hardly feed TO his hogs. II seemed 70 have
been made from meal OF which moro than
half was bran, and after being made INTO
small pones-' dodgers had been appar.
entity cooked IN the ashes and gwen about
the appearance that two or three days
sun-dryIng would bcstow.
That men would consent 10 live on such
food, and with scarcely any paw, da ~ en-
counter the vlCIssItudes OF army hic, and,
when occasion called, Chccrfully rskcd
their lives N battle, rs high tribute &c
Southern lsrdihoud, pluck and courage.
Most of the dead Of both armies had al.
ready been disposed of, but the body Of
one man is sIecla IS remembered He was
a Texan Captain, till and slender IN per
son, with long black hair and whlskcrs,
HIS clothing was much better than that
worn by most persons in the Confederate
army, and II is remembered that he had on
ms feet neat, clean cotton socks that
seemed TO be similar t. what are now
known "a British hose The probability
- that the clothes he had on were nearly
all OF British manufacture and had been
secured wncn Mobile was favorI;c port
with DloCkadc-runncrs Drawn over the
Texans face was white. broad brlmmCd
slouch hat, 50 that his form, features and
dress gave evidence OF the typical South
tIHtI VI TIC D'NI'l dlI'' 'N'Hl' Ai''I N'h''
Already there had begun to gather aboul
the dead Texan romantic history Of the
way he met death, and all the forenoon
there was clustered around him group Of
Federal soldiers. recltng and hearing re-
cited TINS history
when the Federals entered the works
the evening previous all the Confederates
gave themselves up as prisoners OF war
but the Tcxa, Captain, who refused TO sur
render under any clrcums tances, and when
By the Federals sand No sir
surrender's not my name" AMI showed
fight, as they used to say IN army circles
Whether his efforts at resistance were
such as merlted death, or whether in the
excitement Of battle and triumph, his life
was taken in mere wantOnnesS, is not
known; at any rate just above one car
was a great bullet hole, and after Lee had
signed the papers surrenderlng the Army
OF Northern Virginia TO General Grant, one
more name was added to terrible death
roll already frghtfully long
The writer listened TO the recital of the
dead Texans story from the lips of a sol
der standing by, who, when he finished,
added, pointing TO another soldier standing
a little TO one side: There is the man that
shot him." The man pointed out was as
meek and innocent appearing as can be
imagined, and with down-cast eyes admit
ted firing the fatal shot, and confirmed the
story as narrated
The Texan was the last dead Confed-
crate seen upon battle field by the
writer. The first was seen two years be-
fore, on the battle field OF Fort Gibson in
the Vicksburg campaign. He, like the
Texan, was tall aid are and thus far
seemed typical Sout..crner, but he was
attired in the coarsest of the crude dress
Of the Southern army, and nothing about
him gave any evidence Of wealth or re-
nncment.
But both lay where they fell on a field
Of battle taken possession Of by the
,nemy, ana their lifeess bodies were
,iewed by many of the then detested
Yankees. Both gave their lives in hope
ess cause and both would have seemed to
lave died in vain-but, as to the latter,
nay be not; and, just as there are some